Ronnie Burns (Australian)

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This article is about the Australian singer. For the American entertainer see Ronnie Burns.

Ronnie Burns (born Ronald Leslie Burns on 8 September 1946 in Melbourne), is an Australian pop singer.

He began singing with the beat group, The Flies, in 1964. The Flies drew heavily on The Beatles' musical and fashion influences. They supported The Rolling Stones in January 1965.

During this time he befriended Australian music guru Ian 'Molly' Meldrum. The two were famously ejected from The Beatles' 1964 Australian tour for being 'too enthusiastic'.

Ronnie Burns was one of Australia's most popular singers in the 1960's. His most succeessful recordings are

Smiley (1969 - #1 Sydney #3 Melbourne #3 Brisbane #10 Adelaide),
Coalman (1967 - #5 Sydney #5 Melbourne #8 Brisbane #8 Adelaide),
Exit, Stage Right (1967 - #15 Sydney #12 Melbourne #15 Brisbane) and
All The King's Horses (1967 - #5 Sydney).

Smiley, a song about a young man sent to the Vietnam war, has since become synonomous in Australia with that era and is a pop classic. The other three song songs were all written by the Gibb brothers of The Bee Gees fame.

He later supported artists such as Peter, Paul & Mary, and The Bee Gees. In the 1990's he formed, a trio with fellow Australian 1960's pop icons called Cotton, Morris & Burns, including Russell Morris and Daryll Cotton.

His daughter Lauren Burns won a gold medal in Tae Kwon Do at the 2000 Olympics.

Burns currently lives with his wife in Tasmania and tours the speaking circuit. In 1998, he and his wife founded Appin Hall Children’s Foundation, a refuge for children with chronic illness and orphans of war.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

The Who's Who of Australian Rock - Chris Spencer -1993 Edition - Moonlight Publishing
Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop - Ian McFarlane 1999
Noel McGrath's Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop - Rigby/Outback Press 1978